Dental x-ray package



F. W. LOVEJOY.

DENTAL X-RAY PACKAGE.

.FILED MAY 15, 1920.

Jaan. 2, 1923.

wnTNEssx-:s: FI 4- INVENTOR ,MW ATTORNEYS.

f Dental X-Ray Patented dan. 2, 192.

stares PTENT FRANK'. W. LOVEJ OY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR `IDO EASTMAN 'KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

'DENTAL X-RAY PACKAGE.

Application filed. May 15, 1920. Seria1 No. 381,728.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, vFRANK lV. LovEJoY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rochester, in the county of Mo roe and State of vNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packages, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to packages of sensitized films prepared for use individually in dental X-ray work.

The object of my invention is to providev a wrapper' for such an individually packed film which willl be simple to manufactureand convenient to use, which will be sufficiently waterproof for all ordinary purposes, which` is at all times easy to open and which is sufficiently flexible to be bent as needed in use. @ther objects will appear hereinafter.

These and other ends, I have attained by the structure more fully explained herein* w after and particularly by the use in the joints of the outer envelope of the package of an adhesive that is unaffected by water, as specified in the claims attached hereto.

Reference. will now be 4made to the appended drawings in which the same refer ence characters refer to the same parts throughout:

Fig. 1. is a plan of my improved package; Fig. 2. is an elevation thereof; Fig. 3. is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4. is a section of a modified form. The` package contains preferably the following elements: a sheet 1 of black protective paper, opaque to ordinary light but pervlous to X-rays, two sheets 2 of sensitized film, a sheet 3 of metallic foil, such as lead, and another sheet of black protective paper 4, all ofthese sheets being of the same size. It is to be understood that the number and character of the contained sheets may vary widely, the only essential characteristic being a sheet of material sensitive to X-rays; but I have shown and described a form which in practiceis found very desirable.

Around the enclosed leaves enumerated above is placed a wrapping sheet 5, of opaque paper, of greater area. than the enclosed sheets. This overlies the sheet 1 and contained sheet at 6 and then bent to overle the surface of sheet 4, in a continuous iiange or fold 7, extending around the entire periphery of the package. A sheet of paper or other material 8, coated with an adhesive that is unaffected by water is attached by the adhesive around its entire edge to this fold 7, overlapping this to an extent s-'zlfcient to insure al lirm and reliable adherence. As shown, it does not extend entire-ly to the ed e of the package. The corners of the pac age, as 1s common, are shown rounded at 9.

`The simplest way of sup-plying the sheet 8 lis to strike it outy from a large sheet of coated material so that the, entire under surface is coated; but it is, of course ossible to coat only a portion thereof,'sucli as the edges. The sheet will when pressed against the fold 7 contact it most forcibly since its upper surface will be raised by the thickness thereof above sheet 4. But it will also contact and adhere more or less firmly to the central porti'on of sheet 4. In Figs. 8 and 4, all the sheets are shown spaced for the sake of clearness.

It has been found that an adhesive or sheet containing rubber tends, to a noticeable degree, top'revent secondary radiation and in that respect has the function of a sheet of metallic foil. For that reason the absence of the foil from the package is not attended with the loss of all the properties accompanying it. A package from which the foil 1s omitted is shown in Fig. 4, the reference haracters being applied otherwise as 1n 'While the particular composition of the adhesive is not of importance, it may be stated that it is preferably a composition of rubber and coal tar pitch with any suitable softener, such as benzol, gasoline or chloroform. This is sufficiently adherent without heat, though heat may be advantageously used when the sticker is pressed into position. Composition such as that mentioned are well known and are used for adhesive tapes of various kinds, such as that known as surgeons tape.7 i

While this package is exceedingly simple, it has numerous adzvant-ages in addition to those already mentioned, that are not obvia package having an envelope made of a good grade of paper may be used alone.

It is desirable and customary when the dental X-ray operator is taking a number of exposures to place the exposed individual film -packages in a receptacle, from which they are removed at one time by the person ywho develops them. It quite frequently happens, therefore, that the package remains in a moist condition for an appreciable length of time. 1f the parts of the envelope are' connected by an adhesive that is permeable to moisture, these joints are at once attacked, by the moisture of the mouth; and, particularly if the package stands some time, the joint will become unsealed, although the moisture may not. have permeated the paper directly. By using an adhesive that is unaffected by moisture, I' make a joint that will` not become loosened from use in the mouth; and experience has shown that a good grade of heavy paper, even though not fully waterproofed, when the joints areAk thus Waterproof, will protect the film from the moisture for a reasonable length of time, such as is usualin regular p-ractice.

Not only does the use of the water repellant adhesive render the joint less easily opened when such opening is undesired, but it renders it more easily opened when opening is desired. rlhe water soluble adhesives, when dry, form hard joints that are not readily opened. Packages protected from moisture during exposure are thus hard to open and are ripped open or mutilated with some difiiculty in the dark room. An adhesive of the type here described permits the sheet 8 toibe engaged at its edge by the finger nail and peeled olf, in the manner of surgeons tape. It is thus evident that while a package sealed with a .soluble adhesive opens too easily if exposed to7 the moisture of the mouth, and with too great difficulty if protected therefrom, that by the use of a waterproof adhesive a package results that may be opened with sullicient ease at all times, butI which does not end to open of itself.

Another advantage attained by my package is that when a water soluble adhesive is to apply moisture thereto and thus unavoidably introduce into the package at the time ofmanufacture a certain small amount of moisture that is wholly undesirable. Moreover the moistening of the adhesive introduces a separate operation into the assembly of the package, while this operation is omitted in the formation of my improved package.

A still further advantage is that adhesives of the water repellant type do not get hard and inflexible, as do those affected by water. For certain exposures it is necessary to bend the package in order to insert it into the necessary position. If the adhesive is hard and dry, it either prevents the bending, or it cracks and tends to open the joint; while if a flexible adhesive is used, it permits the bending of the package. lnasmuch as the whole of sheet 8 is coated for manufacturing reasons, this would, if coated with a hard dry material, cause the whole package to be inflexible.

An additional advantage in the use of this sticker is that if it is found desirable to make a package which is entirely waterproof, it is possible .still to use only the single wrapping, because the adhesive will stick to it, even though it is impregnated or coated with water repellant material, to which a water soluble adhesive would not adhere.

I contemplate as within the scope of my invention all changes and modifications, such for instance as have been'indicated above, which fall within the reasonable interpretation of the appended claims.

From the above description it is evident than l have provided a package that is simple to manufacture, convenient to handle, is sufliciently waterproof for all reasonable purposes and may be completely waterproof, tends to prevent secondary radiation, is easily opened under all circumstances, but

does not open spontaneously, is flexible and v is comfortable to the patient.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1. A package of dental X-ray film comprising a sheet of sensitized film, a sheet of fibrous protective material larger than said sensitized film and overlying one surface thereof, and a sheet of material coated with an adhesive material that is unaffected by moisture, the edges of thelast named sheet being pressed into adhesive contact with the edges of the first named sheet continuously around the entire periphery of the package.

2. A package of dental X-r'ay film comprising a sheet of sensitized film, a sheet of protective material larger than said sensitized film and overlying one surface thereof, and a sheet of protective material coated with a slow drying adhesive material that is unaffected by moisture, the edges of the last named sheet being pressed into adhesive contact with the edges of the first named sheet continuously around the entire periphthereof, the edges of said last defined sheet` being bent around the edge of the sensitized sheet to form a'continuous flange overhanging the other surface of said sheet, and a Sheet of material at least a part of ivhich,

is coated with an adhesive material that is unaffected by Water, the last named v`sheet being pressed into adhesive contact with the flange.

l. A package of dental X-ray film comprising a sheet of sensitized film, an opaque protective paper sheet overlying one surface thereof, an opaque protective paper sheet of -larger size than said film overlying the other surface thereof, the edge of said last defined sheet around the entire periphery thereof being bent around the edges of the iilm and the other protective sheet and forming a continuous flange overlying the 'entire periphery thereof, and a sheet of material at least a part of Which is coated With an'adhesive impervious to moisture, the last named sheetbeing pressed into intimate `adhesive contact With the flange.

5. A package of dental X-ray film comprising a sheet of sensitized film, sheets of protective material impervious to actinic light rays and pervious to X-rays, overlying each surface thereof, one of said sheets being of substantially the same size as the film and the other of larger size, the edge of saide last defined sheet around the entire periphery thereof being bent around the edges of the iilm and the other protective sheet and Vforming a continuous flange overlying the entire periphery thereof and a sheet of material coated with an adhesive composition comprising rubber and impervious to moisture over its entire inner face, and pressed into intimate adhesive contact With vthe flange continuously around the entire periphery of the package.

Signed at Rochester, New York, this 18th day of May, 1920.

` FRANK W. LOVEJOY.. 

